Yesterday it occurred to me that a small tattoo may not be an altogether bad idea. Does anyone here have experience with tats? Where is the best place to put it? Was having it installed (or what is the proper verb, needled?)as sore as it looks? Wat sort of design is in vogue - still those barbed wire and Celtic motifs? I was thinking maybe a triskelion of question marks arranged around a shared central dot, to symbolise doubt. Or perhaps something with religious implications like a diagram of the "sub-optimal" mammalian retina. Or maybe just an eagle. Or "MOM".

I decided to have one done last year. Let me add though, that the reaction I got was hysterical, to everyone who knew me it was akin to Mary Poppins/ Snow White having a tattoo done, they all thought I was going through a mid life crisis But it wasn't that at all, it was a memory of an incredibly tough year I had last year and I wanted a constant reminder of what I went through - my own battle scar so to speak.

So, I thought long and hard and finally settled on a blue ringed octopus. My reasons were many, I love the sea, octopuses are extremely adaptable animals and will figure their way out of any situation, and in the end they sacrifice themselves for the future of their species (that appealed to the mom in me), and the blue ringed octopus is venomous - a reminder that not everything is as it seems. I had it inked around my belly button, along with a starfish. It is quite large, but I love it and haven't regretted it since. In fact, I'm thinking of having more done, much to the horror of my family...heh,heh,heh.

I won't lie, it was painful, but it was definitely worth the agony because it's gorgeous.Go for it Mintaka!

i have 5 tats. and the correct verb would be 'inked'.if you live in joburg, i need to direct you to my artist, he has won most of the awards and trophies at the yearly ink and iron show. the guy is a legend.the basic rule of thumb to avoid pain when inked, stay away from ribs, ankles, lower back. basically bony places. subcutanious fat absorbs the impact of the needle, and it hurts less, so arm, calf, thigh, etc would be good. silly me went for lower back, left chest, wrist, between shoulder blades... not so funny while its being done.my advice, dont go for fashionable. cause a few years ago fairies and dolphins were in, now its soooo gay.make your own design, or in the case of my artist, sit with him, discusss your idead. he is allways eager to try something new, and he will gladly design you something mindblowing.and forget small. if you gonna do it, do it properly. and avoid too much colour, it fades, then after a few years you will have to have it touched up again. not cool.if you like, i will meet you at the shop, and introduce you to Kim, as he has allways been happy to give my mates a good deal, and more attention.stay away from celtic, its kitsch.

it is insanely addictive. just, sadly, not too cheap. i have thought of starting a facebook page asking for donations to have more. then i can do a video of the whole procedure. nice idea, not gonna happen though....

I take it the skill of the tattoo artist plays a big part in the outcome? I mean, its not merely a mechanised, stencilling process is it?

oh hell yes!!! Kim can tell you horror stories of reaaly bad ink he's had to fix. there is a very big difference between joe soap doodling, and a proper artist. he has been doing it for 15 years, he is a master, and when he dies, so does my tattoo career. he has learnt how to do what, and if you are dissapointed with his work, i will personally eat my hat. more so if you come to him with something innovative and exciting. he is surely kak tired of chinese writing and barbed wire.if you are not from around here, then i can ask him if he can recommend someone in your hood.

if i wasnt so dof, i would post you some of my tats on here, so you can have an idea of this man's skill.how the hell do i add a pic here?

I take it the skill of the tattoo artist plays a big part in the outcome? I mean, its not merely a mechanised, stencilling process is it?

Absolutely!! I've heard of Kim and seen his work, it's awesome. My son is going to go to Kim for his first tat. ( can't tell my kids not to have one if I have one, hey? )My daughter also has a few tats, on her lower back, her wrist and down from her shoulder onto her back.

Mine was done by someone else who was recommended for his fine line work, mine looks very realistic, it's not a cartoon stlye octopus at all.

I also agree with gothcatgirl that you should design something yourself, it's with you for life and you don't want something kitsch or "common". That's also why I did my own thing, I haven't seen many octopuses around.

As to bad tattoos, a friend of mine had one done on her forearm and it was a disaster, it's going to have to be removed because it's so bad, and I hear that's more painful than having it tattooed.

true dat for bad ink.my husband had a female's name done on his ringfinger (wtf he was thinking i cant imagine). now he's stuck with it. i tried to convince him to have it covered, but he tried the laser thing... not allways work out well. i got married to him with 'Linda-Anne' on his finger, was not all that cool.never have a name, or celebrity, or movie, or song lyrics, or a fad done, in 10 years nobody will know who the hell Edward Cullen is. unless it's star wars. that's legendary.You can allways have a $100 note on your Mister, allways an ice-breaker...

the thing about tattoo pain is, first it's kinda ouch, it feels like when a kitten scratches you. then your endorphins kick in, and it feels like someone is digging their nails into your skin, but like all over the area that's being worked on. then it's irritating more than sore. you cant really tell where he is working. when he's done, its a bit burny, but not bad. you feel like a million bucks, since you are pretty high at that point.over the next few days, you start healing, and its another kind of pain. the worst for me is the itching when the scabs come off, cause you not really allowed to scratch or pick, since you will mess it up.then viola!! you all done. i heal in like 5 days max.seriously cyghost, if i could have ink done on my boob and ribs, and not squeal like a goat, then a manly man like yourself could rock it.no use getting pissed or stoned either for the pain. it thins your blood, then all the ink bleeds out. wastes your money.suck it up soldier!!